We saw the house where Betsy Ross lived, and her burial site in the courtyard.
Note that the sign says she made flags for the government for some 50 years.
We visited Washington Square which, at one time, was a burial grounds for soldiers of the War for Independence. Most of the graves were moved to a more permanent cemetery, except there remains a tomb of the an unknown soldier.
The inscription reads "Beneath this stone rests a soldier of Washington's army who died to give you liberty". The plaza was built for the nation's bicentennial celebration.
We saw the First Bank of the United States, chartered by Congress in 1791 to handle the financial needs of the new country. Its charter expired 20 years later, and was not renewed.
We also saw the Second Bank of the United States, chartered in 1816 to help stabilize the country's financial situation after the War of 1812. Its 20 year charter also expired without being renewed by Congress.
We walked through Elfreth's Alley which has been inhabited continually since 1736.
And what would be a trip to a Colonial site be without a meal in the Colonial style? We had dinner at the City Tavern, which existed at the times of the Revolution but did not survive. This is a building replicated from historic records, with servers in period dress and menus of Colonial meals, such as Martha Washington's turkey pie. YUM!
All in all, it was a wonderful trip. Every time we visited an historic site, it helps us to appreciate all the more what courageous steps our founders took that has resulted in the liberties we have today. That's all from Philadelphia .... thanks for hanging in there. Stay tuned for our next few posts - we have more interesting things to share!
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